Web Hosting Features - Security
Disk space, bandwidth, and web hosting features that affect your website’s speed - we have covered all of these so far. The next topic of discussion is security. Let’s review the features that will ensure you choose a secure web hosting service.
DDoS Protection
Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks send fake traffic to make a website, server, or network unavailable to users. With that in mind, you want to find a web hosting service that offers DDoS protection out-of-the-box.
A common practice among hosting providers is to offer a content delivery network (#cdn) to keep your website safe from DDoS attacks. The reason for this is the resource capacity CDNs have to divide malicious traffic into chunks and prevent huge influxes of fake traffic to your website. Most web hosts rely on #cloudflare, which has built-in #ddosprotection.
On the other hand, some use a third-party service or an in-house security suite. These are usually not included in your hosting plan but are sold separately.
The important thing is to check if a web host you’d want to host your website with mentions DDoS protection in their hosting plans. If not, be sure to ask them.
Web Application Firewall
Another essential feature in secure web hosting is a web application firewall or WAF. It protects servers by analyzing network traffic. All network requests must go through a #waf. If any of them looks suspicious, a WAF will deny it. That means malicious traffic won’t reach a destination server.
Malware Detection and Removal
First, what is #malware? It’s malicious software that has the sole purpose of causing damage to a website. It can steal sensitive data, make your website unavailable, or even take control of it. With that in mind, you should look for a web hosting company that has a malware detection and removal tool.
SiteLock is one of the most popular tools for detecting and removing malware. Meanwhile, whether you’ll get malware detection only or both detection and removal services depends on the #webhostingcompany you choose.
Automatic Backups
The next thing you want to check is if a web hosting service offers automatic #backups. This option allows you to restore your website in case it gets hacked or becomes unavailable due to any other reason.
领英推荐
When it comes to the frequency of backups, you can expect daily backups from most hosting providers. You should, however, check for how long the backups are stored. And if you want more options, ask the hosting provider about any premium backup solutions they either have or can recommend.
SSL Certificate
Can you remember the last you visited a website without a padlock in the top left corner? I do. And I can tell you that I wasn't thrilled these websites didn’t have an SSL certificate. As a result, I was very cautious about these websites and what I wanted to click on. I also took the information they served with a grain of salt.
Assuming you don’t want your site’s visitors to feel the same way, you should look for a web hosting service that includes an #sslcertificate in its offering.
The good news is that nearly all web hosting companies include SSL in their hosting plans. Even better - SSL certificates, in most cases, don’t come with any additional fees.
You might be wondering - why you need an SSL certificate. Apart from adding credibility to your website, #ssl is an additional layer of security that keeps your visitors' data safe. It encrypts the information sent over your connection, making it difficult for hackers to intercept it and steal sensitive data.
A website that uses SSL will also get thumbs up from search engines, and you might notice a small performance boost you’d otherwise not have without an SSL.
Domain Privacy
Domain privacy is yet another feature you should look for in a web hosting service. It keeps your personal information away from the public eye. To purchase a domain name, you need to give your name, phone number, and billing address to your domain provider. That data is then added to the #whois directory.
To avoid spam emails and data breaches, and protect your privacy, you should check if the website hosting company of your choice offers #domain privacy protection. In most cases, this service is charged separately from your hosting plan.
Closing Words
All of these features are vital to keeping your website safe. Rember - the fastest web hosting doesn’t come close to secure web hosting. If your website is not protected from online threats, it won’t matter how fast it loads.